LYDIA HOSMER LETTERS, 1830-1832
![ALS, L.P. Hosmer to Dear Mother, [1830] Dec. 21](/uploads/scollect/img/ALS_LH.jpg)
ALS, L.P. Hosmer to Dear Mother, [1830] Dec. 21
Vault A45, Hosmer, Unit 2
EXTENT: 12 items (1 container)
ORGANIZATION: Organized in a single sequence; arranged chronologically.
BIOGRAPHY: Lydia Parkman Wheeler (1800-1884) and Cyrus Hosmer (1795-1833), both of Concord, Mass., were married in 1823.Lydia, born in the Scotchford/Wheeler House on Sudbury Road, was the eldest child of Ephraim Wheeler (1773-1848) and Sarah Parkman Wheeler (1777-1856). Cyrus, born in the Joseph Hosmer House on Main Street, was the son of Cyrus Hosmer and Patty Barrett Hosmer. In 1830, Cyrus, Lydia, and their three young children moved to Northfield, Mass., where Cyrus had been appointed principal (headmaster) of the Northfield Academy of Useful Knowledge and School for Teachers. The family lived in Northfield while Cyrus, in gradually failing health, served in his position with dedication and distinction until his death in 1833.
SCOPE AND CONTENT: Letters, 1830-1832, almost exclusively from Lydia to her mother in Concord, describe her daily activities and the hard work of managing her large household, which often included many boarders. The letters tell of the family’s arrival in Northfield, Lydia’s temporary separation from her youngest child, who remained in Concord for several months, Patty Hosmer’s visits, and the illnesses of the family. In July 1831, the letters poignantly deal with the illness and death of Lydia’s son Joseph Henry.
PROVENANCE: From the collection of Caleb H. and Ruth R. Wheeler.
SOURCE OF ACQUISITION: Presented by Joseph C. Wheeler and his brothers, September 1996.
NOTES AND COMMENTS: The letters are accompanied by a typescript booklet of transcriptions, Letters from Lydia Hosmer, 1830-1832, edited by Joseph C. Wheeler.
PROCESSED BY: JTW; finding aid prepared 11/96 (typed 07/06/97); prepared for mounting on the Web by CM, 08/04.
CONTAINER LIST
All letters are from Lydia Hosmer to her mother, Sarah Wheeler, except where noted. All are contained within a single folder.
[1830] December 21
1831 January 16
[1831 February]
[1831] March 27
[1831 May or June]
1830 [1831?] July 9
[1831] July 12 (from Cyrus Hosmer to his mother-in-law, Sarah Wheeler)
[1831 late July]
1832 January 1
[1832] April 15 (Lydia Hosmer to her father, Ephraim Wheeler)
1832 July 15
1832 October 28
Mounted 18th August 2004, rcwh.
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